Boiled eggs will explode if left until all the water evaporates. It’s not that they boil for too long, but that the environment shifts, pressure builds, and all of a sudden there are remnants of eggs decorating the stove. The heat that was once harmless is now destructive. Recently, I caught a pot of eggs … Continue reading Evaporation
Cross country season is upon us. The season of stickers and early mornings. Without my prompting, both of my girls decided they’re going to be runners. Before the sun rises, I drop them off for practice and head off for a walk. Shortly after, I bumped into a friend who had done the same thing. … Continue reading Pace
For 18 months, I ran past a tan colored tail-end of an extension cord. A 10-inch piece of cord lay in the street beside a stop sign at the edge of an elderly person’s yard. For the first two weeks, every time I saw it, I thought it was a snake. My heart would jump, … Continue reading Notice
Seven. The number of toothbrushes in our grown-up bathroom. Two. The number of grown-ups who dwell in this home. Four. The number of children who have gifted us one or more of their toothbrushes. Three. The number of children who fail to brush their teeth unless instructed to do so. The toothbrushes are held in … Continue reading Cracked, But Holding
Apparently, I unintentionally murdered a sand dollar who once lived on Morro Bay as I added it to my collection and proceeded to drive hours away from its home. What a jerk?! As I stood on the dock of the bay, I watched a seal (or maybe a sea lion), lie on a concrete block … Continue reading Changing Shape
What I expected was to pull myself up onto the massive inflatable, stand up, and walk to the other side with my children. What happened was I pulled myself up onto the massive inflatable, stood up, and immediately displayed my gracefulness as I fell and slid back into the water. Moments later I watched Kyle … Continue reading What I expected…
Hhhhhhhhhh. The sweet sound of exhalation. Fabulosa, Thieves, and a spilled bottle of dawn dish soap carried me to a bit of a cleaner kitchen. My only goal for this three day weekend was to replace the burnt-out lightbulbs throughout my house. Sixty-five dollars later, my kitchen (and the rest of my home) was feeling … Continue reading The Exhale
On a misty, chilly April evening, Malachi hit his first home run. This kiddo who begged me not to sign him up for baseball, who may have teared up a bit walking up to his first and second practice, and who didn’t want to play because he didn’t know how yet. For the record, he’s … Continue reading The Home Run
Alex Rainbird Music tiptoes into my ears and the noise inside me settles as my thoughts are let loose. Stillness resides here. The windows of my mind are rolled down and the breeze dances across my face. It’s a rhythm I’ve learned to create; a rhythm I yearn for. This is a space I access … Continue reading Rhythm
Dream-Christena-Brown butchered my hair. Apparently, Friday appointments after 2:00 p.m. at her salon were required to consist of significant changes or cancellations were imminent. She first dyed the tips of my hair blonde and then took off nine inches. My original expectation was a tiny trim. Sometimes what we expect to be small turns out … Continue reading Step Towards the Pain
